Royal Air Maroc And Five Other Overseas Airlines Now Free of U.S. Laptop Ban

Six airlines that operate direct flights to the U.S. from the Middle East and North Africa are now free of the laptop carry-on ban imposed in the spring, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.

In March, DHS ordered nine airlines at 10 overseas airports to ban portable electronic devices larger than a cell phone from carry-on bags. The devices had to be placed in checked baggage.

The six airlines deemed to be following the new directive, and therefore no longer subject to the electronics ban, are Qatar airlines operating from Doha, Emirates Air from Dubai, Turkish Airlines from Istanbul, Kuwait Airways from Kuwait City, Royal Jordanian from Amman, and Ethiad Airways from Abu Dhabi.

The other two carriers, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Royal Air Maroc, have indicated they also intend to comply, according to DHS spokesman David Lapan.

Teams of inspectors from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration must verify that the airlines are complying with the new American security directives before the electronics restrictions are lifted.